Link assembly



Dec. 26, 1939.

R. F. PEO Elf A1. LINK ASSEMBLY `Filed June 26, 1937 Patented Dec. 26, y1939 PATENT ortis LINK ASSEMBLY Ralph F. Peo and Gervase M. Magrum, Buialo,

N. Y., assignors to Houde Engineering Cor-` poration, Buialo, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application June ze, 1937, serial No. 150,438

6 Claims.

al guard members for protecting the rubber bush-v ings of such types of links.

In link assemblies and joints according to this invention, the housing for the rubber bushing ".1 contains an opening having a major axis longer than the major axis of the stud head and a minor axis shorter than the major axis of the stud head to permit insertion of the stud head in the bushing and to lock the Astud head in the housing when it is rotated into seating position in the bushing. The rubber bushings are usually formed to t snugly around the shank of the stud and therefore a portion of the bushing is exposed at the elongated opening in the housing member. i

When the bushing is maintained under compression in the housing member the exposed portion may be squeezed from the housing and in any event will be deformed and possibly Vout during articulation of the link members.

According to this invention a metal guard such as an open mesh screen Ais disposed over the bushing to cover the portion thereof exposed by the opening in the housing. The metal guard may be directly vulcanized to the bushing or may merely be interposed between the bushing and the housing at the opening of the housing.

VThe guard members increase the life of the rubber bushing considerably and makepossible the use ofcheaper rubber for the bushing material.

Since the guard members surroundA the shank of the stud they are provided with a central aperture for receiving the stud shank. This central aperture is materially smaller than the flat head Iof the stud but the guard material can be sufficiently deformed to permit insertion of the stud head therethrough. A iter the stud head has passed through the guard member, the rubber bushing tends to return the deformed metal back to nearly its original shape.`

Alternatively the guard member may be made in two separate parts', each containing a semicircular aperture for defining `together an opening thro-ugh which the stud shank may operate.

The two pieces forming the guard member readily spread apart from each other when the stud head is inserted through the aperture defined thereby. f i

We have foundr that relatively thin metal screening is an excellent material from which to form the guard members since the open meshes of the screen permit a secure seating rof the guard on the rubber bushing and further faciitate a vulcanizing oi the-guard to the bushing. Screen material is more easily deformed when inserting the stud head through the aperture thereof and at the same time possesses sufiicient strength to prevent extrusion `of the rubber bushing through the opening in the housing.

It is then an object of this invention to'provide metal guard members forprotecting rubber bushings in link assemblies.

A further object of this invention is 'to provide link assemblies, including housing members having elongated openings giving 'entrance thereto and rubber bushings in the housings in alignment with the elongated openings, with metal guard members protecting 'the portions of the bushing exposed by the housing openings.

A further object of this invention is to provide Wire mesh guard members for rubber bushings in link assemblies. l e

' Another yobject of this invention` is to provide y a rubber bushing for a link assembly havinga metal .guard member vulcanized to the outer surface thereof.

- Other and further objects of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description or" the annexed sheet of drawings which ldiscloses a preferred embodiment lof the invention.

On the drawing: v

Figure l is a broken side elevational View, 'with parts shown in vertical cross-section, of a link assembly according to this invention.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional View, with a part in elevation, taken along the line II-II of Figure 1.- Figure 3 is a cross-sectional View, with parts in elevation, taken along the line -III--III oi' Figure l.

Figure 4 vis a top plan guard member according to this invention.

Figure `5 is a top plan view of a'two-piece Wire view of -a wire mesh mesh guard member according to this invention. .y

As shown on the drawing:`

In Figures 1 to 3, the reference numeral l0` designates a metal tube forming the housing member of the link assembly. A solid rod Il is disposed in the tube I intermediate the ends thereof.

Elongated openings I2 are provided through the tube I0 near the ends thereof with the major axis of each opening extending longitudinally of the tube.

Rubber bushings I3 are mounted in each end of the tube I0 in abutting relation to the ends of the rod II in the tube.

The bushings I3 have circular openings I il therein communicating with enlarged slots or recesses I5 formed in the central portion of the bushing. The recesses or slot's I5 have the major axes thereof at right angles to the major axes `of the openings I2 in the tube.

Stud members I6 extend from the tube Iii through the openings I2 thereof andhave enlarged fiat heads I'I seated in the recesses Iii of the bushing. Shanks I 8 of the stud I6 snugly t in the circular openings I4 of the bushing.

The stud heads Il have the major axes thereof shorter than the major axes of the elongated openings I2 of the housing but longer than the minor axes of the openings I2. The studs IS can therefore be inserted in the tube II? through the openings I2 thereof and rotated into seated position in the bushing recesses I5. The stud heads will then be locked in the tube IQ since the major axes thereof are larger than the minor axes of the tube opening I2.

lThe bushings I3 are held against the ends of the rod II by means of discs 28 closing the ends of the tube Iii. The discs 20 preferably have a bead portion 2l projecting therefrom for seating in a groove 22 formed in the outer end of the bushing. A portion 23 of the end of the tube I0 is pressed down into the groove provided by the bead 2| of the disc 2i) to hold the disc against rotation relative to the tube. Since the bead 2| is seated in the groove 22 of the bushing, the bushing is likewise held against rotation in the tube and the opening I4 of the bushing will always be maintained in proper alignment to the opening I2 of the tube.

The remaining portion of the end of the tube I 6 is spun or peened over the edge portion of the disc 2li as shown at 24. The bushings I3 are thus held between the rod II and the closure discs 2li and are unexposed around their entire exterior surfaces except at the openings I2 in the tube. If the bushings are maintained under compression or even if the studs I6 are moved relative to the tube, the unexposed-portion of ,the bushings will be squeezed into the openings I2 of the housing and will thus become deformed, damaged and even cut off from the bushings.

According to this invention, therefore, the exposed portion of the bushings uncovered by the openings I2 is covered by a metal screen 25 having a central aperture 25 therein adapted to receive the stud therethrough. The metal screen 25 extends for a considerable distance around the bushing 'beyond the opening I Z so that it cannot bulge or work out of the opening.

The screen 25 is preferably vulcanized directly to the surface of the bushing I2 and can be bonded thereon when the bushings are first molded.

The stud head I'I of the stud can be jammed through thevaperture 26 in the screen 2li since the screen material is deformable. after the stud head has passed through the aperture the rubber bushing will tend to return the deformedscreen material back to its original shape.

However In the modification shown in Figure -5,' the guard member is composed of two pieces of wire mesh or screen 2l and Q8 each having a semicircular portion .29 and 3l) cut therefrom for defining a circular aperture when the pieces 27 and 28 are placed in mating relation. In this modification the stud head I? can be inserted into the bushing I2 without deforming the screen material since the two pieces 2i' and' will merely spread apart to permit insertion of the stud head.

The use of screen material for the guard members is even more desirable than the use of solid metal sheets since the screen can flex and will not interfere with movements of the stud. At.

the time it has suflicient strength to hold the bushing in. the tube even when the bushing is placed under high compression.

We are aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and we, therefore, do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

We claim as our invention:

l. A link construction comprising a tube having an elongated opening in the side wall thereof, a rod in said tube terminating in spaced relation from the opening, a resilient bushing in the tube abutting the rod, said bushing having an elongated slot therein communicating with said opening in the tube, said slot having the long axis thereof at an angle to the long axis of the tube opening, a stud having shank extending through said tube opening and an enlarged flattened head seated in said slot of the bushing, a metal guard disposed between the bushing and the tube surrounding the shank of the stud for covering the portion of the bushing exposed by the elongated opening in the tube, and means abutting the other end of the bushing to close the end of the tube and hold the bushing in the tube against the rod.

2. A link assembly comprising a cylindrical housing having'an opening in the side wall thereof giving entrance thereto, a cylindrical block of resilient rubber in said housing, and a stud extending through the opening in the housing seated at its end against said rubber block, the improvementwhich comprises a wire mesh screen disposed between the block and housing to cover the portion of the block exposed by the housing opening for preventing extrusion of the block material through the opening.

3. In a link assembh7 of the type including a housing having an elongated opening giving entrance thereto, a resilient rubber bushing in the housing having a recess with the major axis thereof at an angle to the major axis of the housing opening and a stud having a flattened head seated in said recess of the bushing with the major axis of the stud head shorter than the major axis of the housing opening but longer than the minor axis of the housing opening whereby the stud head can be inserted through the housing opening, rotated through an angle to be seated in the recess provided by the bushing and locked in the housing because of the angular displacement of the recess from the major axis of the housing opening, the improvement which comprises a deformable metal sheet held between the housing and bushing to cover the portion of the bushing exposed by the housing opening, said metal sheet having an opening smaller than the stud head but being deformable to permit insertion of the stud head.

4. A bushing for a link assembly comprising a resilient rubber bushing having a recess therein and an opening giving entrance to the recess, a Wire mesh screen secured to the outer surface of the bushing adjacent the opening, said screen having a central aperture therethrough in alignment with said opening.

5. A bushing for a link assembly comprising a bushing of resilient rubber having a recess therein and an opening giving entrance to the recess, two pieces of Wire mesh screen vulcanized to the outer surface of therubber bushing to cover 15 an area of the bushing surrounding the opening therein, each of said pieces having a portion thereof cut away to define when assembled on the bushing an aperture in alignment With the opening in the bushing.

6. A link assembly comprising a housing having an opening giving entrance thereto, a resilient rubber bushing in said housing, and a stud extending through the opening of the housing seated in said rubber bushing, the improvement which comprises a Wire mesh screen disposed between the bushing and the housing and surrounding said stud for preventing extrusion of the bushing material through the housing opening.

RALPH F. PEO. GERVASE M. MAGRUM. 

